Three-way solenoid valve



CCL 9, 1951 F. w. HoTTNRoTH 2,570,450

THREE-WAY SOLENOID VALVE K Fiied Feb. 19, 1946 patented ct. 9, 195i Frederick W. Hottenroth, (Siosrhen, Indassignor to"Penn Electric SwitchlGo., Goshen', Ind.,"av

corporation of Iowa Application February 19, 1946,'se'na1Na. 648,732

sclaims. (C1. 137;;144)

My present invention relates to a three-way Y.

solenoid valve wherein plug type valves are alternately seated on valve seats under the action of a solenoid plunger depending upon whether a solenoid coil for attracting the plunger is energized or deenergized.

One object of the invention is to provide a valve structure which is somewhat simpler and less eX- pensive to manufacture than the type shown in the copending application of Burton E. Shaw, Serial No. 435,048 filed March 1'?, 1942, now Patent No.` 2,398,452, dated April 16, 1946.

Another "object is to provide a valve structure which consists of a body adapted to serve as an end plate for a solenond housing, the valve body having a pair of openings terminating in valve seats and also a chamber between the valve seats, alternate1y' seatable plug valves being provided for the valve seats and operatively connected with a plunger vof a solenoid.

Still another object is to provide the plug valves arranged to be spring seated, with a rock lever coactible with the valves to unseat one while permitting the other to seat and vice versa.

A further object is toprovide a core in which the solenoid plunger is reciprocably mounted, the core being open to the chamber between the plug valves and sealed relative to the interior of the valve body so as to eliminate leakage at this point and at the same time eliminate the necessity of providing a packing gland between the plunger and the interior of the valve body.

Still a further object is to provide adjusting nuts on the stems of the plug valves so that they can ibe adjusted to a point where, at opposite".

limits of movement of the plunger, the respective valves are free to be seated by their seating` springs.

With these and other objects in view, myv invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device. wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a threethe accompanying drawings; I have use d the reference character Bv to indicatea valve'bo'dy andi C a solenoid casing mounted thereon."4 The body Bmay be made of'brass or any suitable metal 7 and is provided wit-han inlet opening Ill, an outlet opening l2 and an Y`intermediate opening I4. .The opening l4=communicates with an. interior chamber 'l Softhe valve body whichlis defined by the walls of a cavityin` the upper end of thebodyy and-a cover plate I8.X1The cover plate l8` is secured 'to the valve :body as Iby screws 20 with a gasketv22 interposed between the valve body and the cover plate. Y

' The cover plate I8 has Va central opening in which a metal sleeve 24 is secured in leak proof manner. A second sleeve 26 of insulating material is moldedaro'und the sleeve 24 andv has molded in its upper end a plug. 28:-1Theparts 24, 26 and 28"?together .with the cover plate I8 provide a closure for the chamber I6. A solenoid coreor plunger 30 is nslidably mounted inthe sleeves 24' and 26, and has a liemispherical head 32on its,

lower end. A solenoid coil 34 surounds the sleeve 2li-and" serves as a means, when energized with electrical current fed to it thro-ugh leads 66, as a means to elevate the plunger-30 to the position shown in Figure 1. f

There is a substantially closed magnetic path for the solenoidthrough the plug 28, the casing C and the cover plate-l8 Ywhich are -allvmade of ferrous material in the usual manner. The casing C is held assembled lrelative tothegicoverplate by means'of aA screw '38 into the plug 28, and a leaf spring 40 serves as a means to hold the solenoid coil 34 against a flange 21 of the sleeve 26.

Within the valve body B, valve seats 42 and 44 areprovided communicating with the openings l0 and l2 respectively. AValve plugs 46 and 48 are normally seated on the seats under the action of springs 50 and 52. The spring 50 is interposed between a flange v54. on. a valve stem 56 and a washer 58. Similarly'the spring 52 is interposed between a flange 60 on a valve stem 62 anda washer 64.

'Ihe valve b ody B has aA pair of bores 41 and 49 in which*y the valve plugs 46 and 48 are mounted. These bores serve as guides in which the flanges 54 and 60 may slide and these slidable connections in cooperation with the slidable connections between the valve stem 56 and the washer 58 as well as the stem v62 and the washer 64 serve to properly guide the valves for movement confined to vertical lines so that the plugs 46 and 48 can 'seat/squarely on the valve seats 42 and 44.

The washers. 5 8 and64 have shouldereddown it. portions located in openings of a plate-like bracket 66. The bracket 66 is held in position on a land 68 within the chamber I6 of the valve body B by four screws 1U. The bracket has a pair of ears 12 bent upwardly from opposite side edges thereof as shown in Figure 2 and adapted to support a pivot pin 14 having a head on one end, its other end being attened to retain it in position. The land 68 has a groove 69 therein for uid ow between the chamber I6 and the bores 41 and 49.

VPivotally mounted on the pin 14 `is a valve operating lever 16 having suitably shaped portions as shown in Figures 1 and 4 to coact with the valves. The lever 16 has a pair of ears 18 bent up from opposite sides thereof and perforated to receive the pivot pin 14. The lever 16 also has a forked end to coact with the head 32 and a shoulder 33 of the plunger 30. Operative coaction between' the lever and the valves is had by mounting on the valve stems 56 and 62 adjusting nuts 80, lock nuts 82 and washers 84 under the adjusting nuts to bear against the lever 16.

Practical operation In the operation of my three-way solenoid valve, when the solenoid coil 34 is deenergized the plunger 36 will drop down byV gravity to the position shown in Figure 4 with its head 32 dropped against the bracket plate 66 and the shoulder 33 against the forked end of the lever 16. This will raise the valve 46 from the seat 42 as illustrated and space the lever 16 and the washer B4 on the valve stem 62 from the adjusting nut 80 on the stem 62. The spring 52 is now free to seat the valve plug 48 against the valve seat 44 so that air or other uid being controlled can flow from the inlet I through the groove 69 to the intermediate opening I4 for performing any function such as opening a diaphragm operated steam valve or the like as described in the oopending application above mentioned.

When the solenoid 34 is energized it will effect attraction of the plunger 30 toward the plug 28 as to the position shown in Figure 1 so that the valve 48 is now open and the lever 16 spaced from the adjusting nut 80 of the valve stem 56 thereby permitting the spring llto close the valve 46. Air may now ow from the opening I4 of the valve body through the groove 69 to the opening I2 which latter opening is an exhaust to atmosphere thus' permitting the steam valve to be reversed in operation.

My valve structure is comparatively simple as far as number of parts and assembly and maintenance are concerned. The interior of the Valve is readily accessible for replacing the valves by removing the casing C and the screws 20 so that the cover plate I8 can be taken off theV valve body. The platev 66 can thereafter be removed which removes all the movable parts of the valve structure for any type of servicing. The arrangement is such2 that all leakage is prevented with respect to chamber I6 Without the necessity Aof providing a packed `joint between the valve operating lever and the. plunger of the solenoid.

Some changes may be made in the construction` and'arrangement of the parts of my device with-f I claim as my inventiont' A k 1. In a solenoid valve structure of the charac; ter disclosed, a valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and an open chamber intermediate said inlet and said outlet and a port communicating with said chamber, a valve seat in communication with said inlet, a second valve seatv in cornmunication with said outlet, valve plugs normally spring seated independently of each other on said valve seats, each valve plug Vhaving a stem, each plug when unseated affording communication between its respective inlet or outlet and said intermediate chamber, a bracket against which the springs for said valve plugs engage. and lthrough which said stems are slidably guided", a rock lever pivotally mounted on fsaid Ybracket andhaving portions on opposite sides .of the pivot for alternately unseating said valve plugs, passageways from said valve seats to said intermediate chamber and communicating the inlet downstream of one valve seat and the outlet upstream of the other with said interr'j mediate chamber, said rock lever fcreffecting the unseating operation, a plate for said'intermediate chamber, a sleeve sealed relative thereto l and 'having a closed outer endysaid plunger -being slidable in said sleeve,V anda solenoidv coil lsurf rounding said sleeve. y ,v

2. A valve structure of the character disclosed comprising a valve body, a pair of `valve bores therein terminating in valve seats, inlet and outlet connections communicating with said `valve seats, an intermediate connection' between said valve seats, a bracket covering said valve bores said valve bodyhaving passageways from"said,V bores to said intermediate connection' a'n'd-'cimJv municating the inlet downstream of one bore'to said intermediate Vconnection and the outlet' upstream of the other thereto', valve stems slid" ably guided through said bracket, valve plugs on' said valve stems adapted for seating on said valve seats, springs interposed between said bracket and said valve plugs for normally seating the plugs, said valve stemsrhaving enlargements'in' said bores to slidably mount said valve stemsf'a pivot carried by said bracket intermediatesaid` valve stems, a rock lever pivoted thereon andI having upwardly embossed portionsengageable' solenoid for moving said plunger. v

3. In a three-way solenoid valve structure,-a

valve body having an inlet and an outiet, said2 valve body having an open valve chamber and a' port communicating with said chamber, a lcverv plate for enclosing said chamber against leakage' of uid to atmosphere, a solenoid supported von said cover plate and having a sleeve closed-at its outer end and sealed relative to said covervplatej a plunger in said sleeve, said'valve bodyhaving'a pair of valveseats, one communicating'with said: inlet and said chamber andthe other cornmuni"v eating with said outlet and'said chamber, =`valveE plugs' for seating thereagainst, a seating'sp'ring for each valve plug, either plug when unseated permitting communication betweenthe respective` inlet orv outlet and vsaid chamber, asecond'c'over plate for said valve plugs, said valverbody-hav-f ing a passage from said Vvalve seatsundersaid second cover plate to said chamber to afordfsuch-V communication, said valve plugs havingrstems guided in said second cover plate and said 4secondi cover plate retaining the valve plugs in their as- 5 6 Sembled positions relative to said valve bggiy, D STATES PATENTS said springs being interposed between said Valve Number Name 'Date plugs and said second cover plate x 665,704 Strong Jan 8J 1901 978,579 Grebel et al. DEC'. 13, 1910 1,043,018 Long Oct. 29, 1912 lever bemg Operatlvely 001196 1318 12o Wheaton oct. '1 1919 plunger' A 1,956,775 Ross v May 1, 1934 FREDERICKJNQTTENROTH- 2,093,673 Jacobson sept. 2,1, 1937 f' f 2,200,210 Taylor 1 May 7, 1940 REFERENQES 'CITED 10 2,398,452 shaw 1 7 Apr. 16, 1946 The fouwmg ref-rnees ,are of recrd in the le of this patent; 

